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Former Butte College tight end Geoff Swaim, left, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. - Jason Halley — Enterprise-Record File

After playing for the University of Texas football team, Geoff Swaim was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

Butte College’s Geoff Swaim, center, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Swaim, getting blocks from Robert Jiles, left, and Brandon Noland, right, in an Oct. 29, 2011, game against Laney, was taken in the seventh round after playing tight end for the University of Texas on a full scholarship. - Jason Halley — Enterprise-Record File

Going from college to the NFL is usually a big move. For Geoff Swaim, it’ll be a relatively short drive.

The 2011 Pleasant Valley High graduate and former Butte College standout who played tight end for the University of Texas in Austin was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

The Cowboys traded their 2016 sixth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a seventh-rounder the Bay Area team held. Dallas then made Swaim the 29th pick of the seventh round, 246th overall out of 256 players drafted over the three-day event in Chicago.

Swaim was consigned to being an undrafted free agent and figured he’d head to the San Diego Chargers to compete for a roster spot.

He had already stopped watching the draft and went to a coffee shop with friends. But Swaim soon got a call from Dallas personnel who quickly put on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Swaim still didn’t know he had been drafted since the team had been in talks with him as a possible free agent.

“He said, ‘I figured I’d just draft you,’” Swaim said of Jones.

The opportunity wasn’t lost on Swaim, stressing it took many people to get to this point.

“It’s kind of a whirlwind,” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid.”

The locale of his destination wasn’t lost on him either.

“It’s just a 2-, 3-hour drive,” said Swaim, happy he won’t have to completely uproot himself from Austin, where he’s made his home after earning a full scholarship as a Roadrunner.

Swaim has also played at AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys. The Longhorns played UCLA in his senior season, and he raved about the facilities and being able to join a first-class organization.

As a Longhorn, Swaim was used as a blocking tight end, paramount to the running game. Now, he’s set on earning a spot in the NFL.

“It’s like anywhere. You just want a chance, and you have to make the most of your opportunity,” he said.

Some of the opportunity will be played out on the West Coast. The Cowboys’ preseason schedule starts with games at San Diego and at San Francisco. The opener against the Chargers is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, and the game against the 49ers is set for 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.

Swaim will be competing with a depth chart that includes Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar and James Hanna. Witten will turn 33 on Wednesday, and he seems headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a career that began in 2003. Escobar, a second-round pick by Dallas in 2013, isn’t known for his blocking, and Hanna, a sixth-round pick in 2012, is in the last year of his deal.

Swaim was thrilled he’d get a chance to learn from Witten and the Cowboys, and he could also contribute on special teams. But the first step is the team’s rookie minicamp later this month.

Swaim’s coach when he played at Butte remembered him well.

“I’m just so proud and happy for him,” Roadrunners head coach Jeff Jordan said. “He really brought a toughness to the team.”

Mycal Swaim, Geoff’s brother, went undrafted last year after playing at Butte and then Eastern Michigan. A safety, Mycal broke his arm in camp with Tampa Bay and was waived. Geoff said his brother is looking into the Canadian Football League as his next opportunity.